Lining tunnels



. O S N A LINING TUNNELS.

No. 545,978. Patented Sept. '10, 1895.

WITNESsEs:

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ERNEST LESLIE RANSOME, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS;

p LINING TU'NNELS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 545,978, dated september io, i895.

Application tiled March 18j 1895- Srial No. 542,247. (No modem To afZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, ERNEST LESLIE RAN- sOME, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Lining Tunnels, of which the the following is a specification.

My invention particularly relates to lining tunnels with concrete, and has for its object the closer juxtaposition ofthe concrete to the upper surface of the tunnel. The usual way of lining tunnels with concrete is to set up false work or molds within the tunnel and to lill in the space between the tunnel-surface and the false work with concrete. In practice it has been found extremely difcult, if not impossible, with ordinary false work to so build the crown of the lining that it will remain solid and tight up against the excavated or other surface of the tunnel. In packing concrete about the bottom or sides of the tunnel no such difficulty exists, because the concrete by its own weight assists the packing and tends to force itself close to the adjacent surfaces; but at the crown of the tunnel the concrete cannot be fed from above. It has to be forced into position horizontally, and by its own Weight it settles down and away from the crown of the tun nel. I overcome this difficulty by my present invention, which consists in first placing the concrete and then forcing it hard up against the surface of the tunnel by expanding the falsework so as to contract the space occupied by the concrete. This expansion is made before the concrete sets, but after the work of filling in the lining has so far progressed ahead as to insure that the concrete compressed by the expansion of the mold will not be further disturbed to any detrimental extent by the continued progress of the Work.

The accompanying drawings illustrate how this process may be carried out.

Figure l is a longitudinal section of a part of a tunnel in the process of being lined with concrete. Figs. 2 and 3 are sections on lines X X and Y Y, respectively, of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is an end elevation of a traveling core-inold having a sloping working face. Figs. 5 and 6 are sections similar to Figs. 2 and 3, showing a modified construction.

In Figs. 2 and 3 the expansion is made by a sliding block E, which is suspended by bars F and pins F at the required level, as shown in Fig. 3, until the sectional core is in place and the work has sufficiently progressed, when the block is thrust upward, by a jack or other means, until it has expanded the mold and com pressed the concrete sufficiently. Then it is held in that position by inserting pins F through the lower holes of bars F, as shown in Fig. 2. By beveling this block, as shown, the perimeter of the mold can be extended at the same time that the crown is being raised'.

In Figs. 5 and 6, instead of using a sliding block the contraction and expansion are made by the movement of shutter-like pieces Gr G. These pieces partly rest upon the fra/me work of the core-mold at II and partly upon the elevating-screw I. This screw is supported by the bar K, which is carried by the lugs L. The expansion-pieces are raised to the required height by means of the screw I and are heldin place by one or more bars M, bolted to the lugs N, as shown, wedges O being inserted between the shutters and the bar for keying up tightly. The tunnel being excavated to the line A, a traveling core-mold B is placed in position and is surrounded with concrete P while being drawn along in the well-known manner. In the rear of this traveling mold sectional cores B are placed7 one ahead of another, as fast as room is made for them by the forward movement of the traveling mold. As this traveling molddraws away from the sectional cores, the concrete settles down upon them. This settlement increases the unfilled space at C. After the traveling mold has so far progressed ahead that the jarring occasioned by the placing of the concrete is no longer felt, then the sectional molds are expanded at X X until they are brought to their proper height and the concrete above them has been compressed until it entirely and tightly fills the space C and the excess thereof flows ahead. These sec tional core-molds then remain in place until the concrete has sufficiently set, when they are removed.

I do not limit this invention to sectional cores, neither in conjunction with nor independent of a traveling mold. It can be applied equally well to any ordinary false work.

IOO

Nor do I limit this invention to concrete alone. It is equally applicable to any like plastic material.

Having thus described my invention, what l. The method of lining tunnels with concrete which consists in introducing the concrete between the mold and the Wall of the tunnel and in compacting the same against 1o the Wall by pressure from Within the mold.

2. The method of lining tunnels With con crete which consists in introducing the concrete between the mold and the Wall of the tunnel and in forcing the concrete into contact with the upper portion of said Wall by an upward pressure from within the mold.

ERNEST LESLIE RANSOME.

Witnesses:

CASPER L. REDEIELD, STEPHEN T. MATHER. 

